Posted tagged ‘Lufthansa Flight 411’

A Lufthansa jet nearly collided with another plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday evening after an EgyptAir flight apparently veered into its path just as the plane headed down the runway.

The near miss was captured on audio recordings, revealing an air traffic controller communicating with the Lufthansa pilot, yelling “Cancel takeoff! Cancel takeoff plans!” as the two planes moved toward each other.

The pilot of the Lufthansa jet acknowledged as the plane rolled to a halt.

Lufthansa Flight 411, an Airbus 340 packed with 286 passengers and crew, was cleared for takeoff by air traffic control shortly before 7 p.m. Monday, according to a statement from Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen.

EgyptAir Flight 986, a Boeing 777, was issued instructions to taxi from the ramp area to the airfield for departure, but made a wrong turn, the statement said.